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As The LeeShore Center celebrates its 30th year of keeping domestic violence victims and their families pets’ safe from harm, we are deeply grateful to RedRover for the $3,000 grant award to help us build a new outdoor animal kennel at our emergency shelter facility!

RedRover is a national nonprofit organization that annually awards grant funding to domestic violence shelters throughout the county so that shelters can create a safe place to house victims’ pets. You can learn more about RedRover at www.RedRover.org.

During the last two years many residences have been damaged by high ground water and surface flooding, even in previously dry areas. The K-Beach High Water Drainage Task Force is constructing a map of homes and businesses that have been affected. It is our intent to develop drainage improvements for the area affected to allow water to flow safely away.

I would like to take a moment and thank some really incredible people! MLS, International and its subsidiary Sterling Crown Studio hosted a fundraising basketball show with the Harlem Ambassadors. It was an incredible night of laughter and family fun!

On behalf of the LeeShore Center staff and board, we wish to thank Heather Morning, Sarah Hough and all the folks at Kenai Peninsula Builders Association for their generous holiday gifts to our agency. On behalf of KPBA, Heather and Sarah stopped by LeeShore this morning with a car load of holiday presents for the women and children residing in our emergency shelter and transitional housing facilities. It was sight to behold; toys, clothing, stocking stuffers, blankets, arts and crafts, etc. Please know your thoughtfulness will bring joy to those residing with us on Christmas morning.

A special thank you goes out to Soldotna Elks Lodge 2706 for their partnership with the Soldotna area schools! Soldotna Elks has donated 21 $100 gift cards from Fred Meyer to support our families in need for the area schools (the elementary schools, Skyview Middle, Soldotna Prep, and Soldotna High). Throughout the 2014-15 school year, the Elks have helped Soldotna schools provide support for our families in need at Christmas time.

Survivor’s guide to low oil prices here on the peninsula: For those of you who were here during the mid-1980s, you know the drill. For those who weren’t, let me tell you what’s getting ready to happen so that you can avoid financial ruin.

In around 1985, Ronald Reagan asked the Saudis to start pumping oil as fast as they could to bankrupt the Soviet Union, whose production costs are substantially higher than the Saudis. The Saudis obliged and it not only caused the dissolution of the Soviet Union but it also brought the US oil industry to its knees.

William Dudley, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, spoke before the United States Senate on November 21, 2014. He expressed joy about a couple of banks that “pleaded guilty to criminal charges.” Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) asked how many people (of the 100s behind the corporation’s criminal activity) went to jail?

Dudley said he knew of none. After all, corporations cannot be placed in jail.

On behalf of the board of directors and staff of The LeeShore Center, I would like to extend thanks and appreciation to the many community members, businesses and service agencies who generously donated their time and assistance to our agency during 2014.

Too few Alaskans know the humbling beauty of the Alaska Peninsula and the imposing journey into Bristol Bay. But over the past nine years, I have had the good fortune of spending summers aboard the F/V K2, combing the waters of Bristol Bay for sockeye salmon. In May, life abounds. Migrating birds flock overhead, pods of whales play at midship and eventually, bright, beautiful salmon arrive in overwhelming abundance.

Jubilee Johnston’s letter-to-the-editor (Clarion, Nov. 25) does well to note that “... students are not being taught ... that both evolutionism and creationism are faith based.” It would be better said that “students are not being taught that both Materialism and Theism are faith based.”

First, there is no inherent or necessary disagreement between a theory of evolution and creationism. Many Theists — Jews, Muslims, Christians, etc. — believe that God could have used a process of evolution by which to create life.